Colin Kaepernick to pay for autopsy of Fulton County inmate who died in jail

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Colin Kaepernick will reportedly pay for an autopsy of a 35-year-old inmate whose death in the Fulton County Jail has sparked national outrage over how he was allegedly treated before he died.   

Lashawn Thompson was booked into the Fulton County on charges of misdemeanor simple battery in July.  He was later transferred to the psychiatric wing of the jail due to mental health issues. Three months later, he was found dead in a dirty jail cell after reportedly being attacked by insects and bed bugs, according to the family's legal team. Jail records reportedly reveal that detention officers and medical staff at the jail noticed Thompson's deteriorating health but did nothing to help him, leading to his untimely death.

The cause of death was listed as "undetermined" by the county medical examiner, who also notes a "severe bed bug infestation."

"What you’re looking at, I think, is not just a deplorable jail cell, but this is a crime scene. This is criminal," Crump said as he held up a photo of Thompson’s dirty, trash-strewn cell during a news conference and rally Thursday in front of the jail.

Lashawn Thompson (Courtesy of the family) (Supplied)

TMZ Sports reports that Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist, got in contact with Crump and offered to fund a second, independent autopsy.  Autopsy can cost between $20,000 and $50,000.

According to TMZ, Kaepernick was distressed when reading reports of the conditions of Thompson's jail cell.

RELATED: Family of inmate who died at Fulton County after being 'eaten alive' demanding justice

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat who chairs the Senate Human Rights Subcommittee, announced Thursday that he is launching a new inquiry into conditions of incarceration in Georgia and across the country, citing news reports about Thompson’s death.

Harper has said jail staff did nothing to address Thompson’s deteriorating health in the weeks before his death and has called for a criminal investigation. Thompson had been arrested June 12 on a misdemeanor battery charge.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat met with Thompson’s family Thursday and spoke alongside them at the news conference outside the jail.

"We understand, and I have said this publicly, this is absolutely unconscionable, point blank," Labat said.

RELATED: Sheriff accepts resignation of key leadership at Fulton County Jail  

Labat said that once investigations into Thompson’s death — an internal one by his office and another by the Atlanta Police Department — are complete, they will be turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

"Most importantly, we want to, once again, extend our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. LaShawn Thompson," said the sheriff. "The final investigative report will not ease the family’s grief or bring their loved one back, but it is my hope and expectation that it provides a full, accurate and transparent account of the facts surrounding Mr. Thompson’s death so that it provides all of the answers they are seeking and deserve."

Since Thompson’s death gained publicity last week, Labat has expressed his condolences to the family and had three top jail officials resign. He announced Wednesday that he had secured an additional $5.3 million from the county board of commissioners to provide upgrades at the jail, including increased monitoring in the psychiatric and medical units and more frequent high-level sanitation of those units.

Critics — including some who yelled questions and accusations at Labat during the news conference — have said Labat didn’t act until the conditions surrounding Thompson’s death became public. And they allege Labat, who took office in January 2021, is using Thompson’s death to bolster his push for a new jail when they say he has long failed to address serious chronic problems at the current jail.

Colin Kaepernick arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix's "Colin In Black And White" at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage,)

Tiffany Roberts, public policy director for the Southern Center for Human Rights, which advocates for the rights of people in the criminal justice system, said the nonprofit law firm has successfully sued the county four times over conditions at the jail but has seen little improvement.

"How dare this sheriff stand with a grieving family, pat their backs, make platitudes while he is asking for $2 billion to transfer this problem to a larger and more expensive facility," she said during the news conference. "How long will we hide from the reality that Fulton County is chronically dysfunctional and there is no humanity in a system like this?"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.